GB2085764A

GB2085764A - Method for thee manufacture of heat exchangers with curved elements and an exchanger obtained according to said method

Info

Publication number: GB2085764A
Application number: GB8124033A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: CHAUSSON DES USINES SA; Chausson Usines SA
Current assignee: CHAUSSON DES USINES SA; Chausson Usines SA
Priority date: 1980-09-01
Filing date: 1981-08-06
Publication date: 1982-05-06
Also published as: BE889810A; IT1137880B; FR2489495A1; FR2489495B1; ES504897A0; ES8205308A1; US4443921A; DE3131736A1; IT8123484A0; GB2085764B

Description

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GB 2 085 764 A

1

SPECIFICATION

A method for the manufacture of heat exchangers with curved elements, and an exchanger obtained 5 according to said method

The present invention relates to heat exchangers of the tubes and dissipators type, the tubes having to be connected to tubular plates for the distribution of 10 a circulation fluid.

In some uses, it is necessary to use curved heat exchangers allowing their accommodation inside particular containers or inside enclosures of small dimension or of complex shape.

15 Exchangers of such a nature are used in aeronautics and they have also to be used in the automobile industry where efforts are increasingly made to lodge the functional structures inside reduced spaces.

20 Hitherto, in orderto make curved exchangers, the tubes had to be bent and then to be assembled, notably by brazing, to the dissipators, and then to the tubular plates, this procedure is lengthy and costly since it requires the mounting of very particular 25 assemblies.

The invention provides a new method which allows making the heat exchanger exactly in the same way as in the current technique of the automobile industry, that is in the same way as a plane 30 exchanger.

According to the invention, the method for making heat exchangers with curved elements comprising tubes assembled to corrugated dissipators is characterized in that rectilineartubes of substantially 35 rectangular cross-section are rigidly assembled to dissipators having the shape of corrugated bands fixed to the large side of the tubes and in that the unit thus obtained is curved between cylinders bearing against the small side of the tubes.

40 Moreover, the invention is applicable to the heat exchanger obtained according to this method.

According to this second disposition of the invention, the heat exchanger comprises curved core elements with rectangulartubes and corrugated dis-45 sipators, the tubes being connected by their ends to the tubular plates and by their large sides to the corrugated dissipators.

Various other features of the invention will be better understood from the following detailed descrip-50 tion thereof.

Embodiments of the object of the invention are shown, by way of non limiting examples, in the appended drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a 55 first phase of the manufacturing method of the heat exchanger of the invention,

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view showing a subsequent shaping operation.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 1 show-60 ing the exchanger sections after the shaping operation shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an elevation view of a circular exchanger obtained according to the method of the invention.

FIGS. 5 and 5a are transverse sectional views at a 65 larger scale of tubes which can advantageously be used when practicing the method and the manufacture of exchanger of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a schematic elevation view similarto FIG. 2, illustrating another shaping method.

As is shown in FIG. 1, the first step consists in making an exchanger core of the single row type comprised of a stacking of tubes 1 and of dissipators 2. The tubes 1 are so-called deep tubes with substantially rectangular of pseudo-rectangular section, a small side being eventually rounded. The dissipators 2 are made of corrugated bands the width of which is at most equal to the height of the large side of the tubes. The dissipators are bonded to the tubes 1 by a brazing or a glue.

The hereabove described core is made such that the ends of the tubes 1 protrude beyond the dissipators 2 over a distance which is just corresponding to that necessa ry for thei r subsequent i ntroduc-tion into a tubular plate.

When the core is ready, it is positioned so as to pass, as is shown in FIG. 2, between forming cylinders 3, for example three in number, of a rolling machine. As a matter of fact, it has been established surprisingly that the dissipators 2 which are fixed to the wall of tubes 1 along their large side inhibit the buckling of said wall during the benting step by rolling.

When the radius of curvature to impart to the core has to be small, it is advantageous to carry out several benting steps by moving the cylinders 3 in the direction of the arrow at each steps.

Finally is obtained the core F shown in FIG. 3 where the tubes 1 and the dissipators are regularly curved over all their length like an arch.

In many cases, it is advantageous to provide the sides of the core with side flanges. FIGS. 1 and 3 show a side flange 4 which is bent at the same time as the tube. The flanges 4 are generally slightly shorter or on the contrary slightly longer than the tubes 1 according to the fixation mode which has to be foreseen between said flanges and the tubular plates provided for the tubes 1.

The radius of curvature of the cores F can vary, particularly when it is required to arrange several cores concentrically.

FIG. 4 illustrates the embodiment of a heat exchanger comprising two cores sets F, and F2 of different radius of curvature so that they be placed concentrically. The tubes 1 of cores F-, and F2 are engaged into tubular plates, not shown, which are part of boxes 5 provided for the connection of the exchanger to a utilization circuit.

the mounting of tubes 1 in the tubular plates can be provided by using any method customary of this field. For example, the mounting can be carried out mechanically by disposing flexible seals between the wall of the protruding ends of the tubes and the tube passages of each tubular plate. The tubular plates are then assembled to the boxes 5 by any means which is known in thisfield of the technique, thereby allowing making for example a circular heat exchanger such as is shown in the drawing.

In FIG. 4, the heat exchanger is made of two sets of two cores, but is possible, when required and for heat exchangers of large dimensions, to assemble

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GB 2 085 764 A 2

more than two cores per set, orthatthe heat exchanger has more than two sets of cores.

Particularly when it is required to mechanically assemble the tubular plates on the protruding ends

5 of the tubes, it is advantageous that the tubes contain, as this is shown on FIGS 5 and 5a, either a baffle or disturber 6 which is brazed or glued when making the core, or walls 7 made during the manufacture of the tube, particularly when the tube is an extruded

10 tube (FIG. 5a).

For some applications, heat exchangers of a circular shape or only in the shape of an arch or a circle can be made, with a constant or variable radius, allowing making equipments of small size, oradapt-

15 able to particular containers, and it is thus possible to use, for activating the thermal exchange, centrifugal turbines disposed inside the cylindrical volume defined by the exchanger.

According to the alternative embodiment of FIG. 6,

20 the core is provided at both its ends with tubular plates 8,8a which are brazed at the same time as the dissipators 2, and it is positioned on a die 7 of a press, preferably a hydraulic press, and 10 designates a forming bag mounted on a ram 11.

25 As in the case where the configuration is provided by forming cylinders 3, the core is bent according to the required radius of curvature or radiuses of curvature without deformation detrimental to the tubes or dissipators.

30 Also in this embodiment, it is possible to obtain cores of different curvatures, whereby the same core can have several radiuses of curvature or again curvatures which are not circular.

Claims

35 1. A method for the manufacture of heat exchangers with curved elements, comprising tubes assembled to corrugated dissipators, characterized in that rectilinear tubes of substantially rectangular cross-section are rigidly assembled with dissipators

40 having the shape of corrugated bands fixed to the large side of the tubes, and in that the unit thus obtained is curved by applying a benting force to the small side of the tubes.
2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the

45 benting is provided by passing the unit between cylinders bearing on the small sides of the tubes.
3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the unit is curved by means of a die and a forming element.

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4. A method according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the unit comprises in addition side flanges.
5. A method according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the unit comprises in addition tubular plates.

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6. A method according to one of claims 1 and 5, wherein the forming element is a bag of a hydraulic press.
7. A method according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the width of the corrugated dissipators is

60 chosen such as to be at most equal to the width of the large sides of the tubes.
8. A method according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the tubes-corrugated dissipators unit comprises asingle row of tubes.

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9. A method according to one of claims 1 to 8,

wherein the tubes are provided with inner partition walls.
10. A method according to one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the inner partition walls are provided by

70 baffles or disturbers. 5
11. A heat exchanger obtained according to the method of one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that it comprises arched cores with rectangular tubes afid corrugated dissipators, the tubes being connected

75 by their ends to tubular plates and by their large sides to the corrugated dissipators.
12. An exchanger according to claim 11, wherein the tubular plates of curved core are connected to the tubular plate of another curved core through

80 boxes.
13. An exchanger according to one of claims 11 and 12, wherein it comprises several cores or sets of cores disposed concentrically for making a cylindrical heat exchanger.

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14. An exchanger according to one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the cylindrical exchanger is associated with a centrifugal turbine disposed inside the cylindrical volume defined by the cores or sets of assembled cores.

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15. An exchanger according to one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the cores or sets of cores have different curvatures.
16. A method for the manufacture of heat exchangers with curved elements, substantially as

95 hereinbefore described with reference to any one of the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.
17. A heat exchanger when made by the method according to claim 1, substantially as hereinbefore

100 described with reference to any one of the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

Printed for Her Majesty's Stationery Office by The Tweeddafe Press Ltd., Berwick-upon-Tweed, 1982.

Published at the Patent Office, 25 Southampton Buildings, London, WC2A1 AY, from which copies may be obtained.